Posts
This was a fun session, though a little bit of a difficult one to plan for as I had no idea how this "party" the PCs were planning on throwing to distract the security at Jocasta's facility (the ARC--Anomaly Research Centre) was going to go down. I decided before hand to let the PCs drive the plot, whilst having a few "dilemmas" in my back pocket that I could drop in anytime things seemed to slow down. The ARC as a setting during this session proved an interesting one for me to deal with as well--since Jocasta and all of her senior staff were gone, there was a veritable treasure trove of information on her secret plans available for the PCs to plunder, and the only thing that stood in the way was an ornery logistics droid and a countdown to when all the info at the facility would be dumped off-site.
Speaking of A'tel, his behavior in this session remains one of the things that still gets talked about whenever he comes up. I think what surprised people was the character's willingness to quite abruptly turn his back on many things that had seemed so central to his life: the Jedi Order, the G.A.R., the Clones, etc., all for a group of friends who, to be honest, didn't always treat him very well. The callous dismissal of his previous oath to take over the reins of Cestus Cybernetics was another surprise, as was the threatening of Jedi Master Creen. It all added up to a much darker, more aggressive turn for the character.
Creen continued his role as an NPC that the party could never quite figure out whether was evil or not. He certainly did some villainous things--brainwashing people, for one thing; but on the other hand, he always had a plausible reason why what he did was justified. Even though the campaign has been over for months now, my players still try to get me to confess which, if either, of Creen and Jocasta, was the "bad guy" of the campaign.
And no talk of "grey" NPCs would be complete without mentioning Stefan. He won an "awwww" from everyone at the table (even the guys!) during the scene where he gave baby Allegra a bath.
Big readers of old Iron Man comics will probably recognize the inspiration for the intruder the PCs faced at the end of the session: the Ghost. A little bit cheesy, I know, but the character seemed perfectly suited to corporate espionage and I knew his ability to turn intangible would have some nice shock value to my jaded PCs.
EPISODE 2.11: More Human Than Human
SESSION # 44
The brutal battle for Mongui is over. The remnants of xenophobic Purity First have fled in disarray and House D’avilos once again reigns. Yet victory comes at a cost, as two members of the resistance have fallen in final battle against the Grand Inquisitor. And on Etti IV in the Corporate Sector, two survivors of that tragic confrontation have met an old friend in order to make a fateful decision . . .
Onboard the Republic cruiser Majestic, A’tel Por’ten prepares for departure. One of the clones under his command, nicknamed “Pretty” due to his scarred visage, wishes the General good-luck and a speedy return, while turning over the Delta-7 Aethersprite starfighter and its R-3D droid assigned to A’tel.
[A.G. 1022]
Meanwhile at the ARC, the decommissioning process continues, along with plans for a large party ostensibly to celebrate the success of the venture. A logistics droid with very exacting programming confronts Doxen and Arresta about the party plans (which are secretly designed to distract ARC staff and security so Daal can access the mainframe in order to find where his mother is being kept), demanding that the party be paid for privately and that nothing interfere with scheduled shut-down activities. The logistics droid also informs them that Master Creen has been surveilled several times attempting to breach “Level 3” ARC security, and that even though he arrived on Mr. Cassadine’s ship he does not have carte blanche to stroll through secure areas at will. Doxen and Arresta decide to seek out Daal and discuss the issue with him.
Daal has challenges of his own as his father comes to him with news that he will be thrown out of his current residence in the ARC dormitories once the shutdown occurs in 72 hours—leaving him homeless and without the necessary CSA paperwork to obtain another place to stay. Daal asks his associates for help and Doxen contacts Ms. Prentiss who agrees to help prepare the appropriate paperwork to have Daal’s parents receive legal status via the Humanitarian Refugee office.
Arresta returns to the townhouse that she and Stefan have rented in the capital city of Monnder and finds her husband out, having left the bodyguard Xam as baby-sitter for Allegra. The Aqualish, who is stuck assembling an extremely elaborate and expensive mobile that Stefan purchased for his daughter, advises Arresta that her husband will be home later in the evening. The Princess confides to Doxen that she has decided to tell her husband of her plans – she is determined to continue with her rescue of Tarn, but she does not want to lie to her husband again. Doxen is sceptical of the wisdom of this strategy.
They plan the party and Arresta arranges to hire a live band and to provide an expansive buffet as well as casino-style games played for “fun money”. She is surprised to realize that some of her accounts have been drained and leaves a message for Stefan asking him to investigate. She also decides to share information from her intelligence network with Doxen – she has a contact for him on the planet Firrerre willing to meet with him and help him in his quest to rescue his Senatorial friend. Afterwards, she reviews the data Daal provides her on the ship The Gentle Lover and she decides it would be an inappropriate choice for her and suggests Doxen hire it instead. Daal agrees to seek out another ship for the journey he and Arresta will make to find Tarn.
Doxen contacts Ms. Prentiss again to inquire about procuring legal “lady companions” for the party. After clearing up her misunderstanding that this is an inquiry for his personal use, Ms. Prentiss advises that she is unable to help (although this is due to her personal moral preference, rather than Corporate Sector regulations).
Daal attempts to use his droid jammer to incapacitate the logistics droid by luring it to the computer lab, but it becomes suspicious and he is forced to make excuses to cover the attempt.
Doxen meets with Jasper Falen, the tall, rakish Captain of The Gentle Lover, and Kako, his Jawa mechanic. Doxen books passage, reluctantly negotiating a lower fee in exchange for allowing Jasper the freedom to play his up-tempo music for three hours each day. In addition, Doxen agrees to supply his own provisions and begins to make his purchases for what he expects will be a 10 to 20 day voyage across the galaxy.
Stefan arrives home and Arresta immediately notes that he is wearing a med-patch and that he seems to be in some discomfort. He blames it on a headache and makes strange references to a planned trip for her to visit her sick Uncle Ignatius. Stefan laments the fact that since only Arresta has been exposed to that particular illness, that it would be unwise for himself or Allegra to accompany her. Arresta is highly disturbed and quickly confirms that Master Creen has been to visit her husband. She is further vexed when Stefan, casually displaying his knowledge of his wife’s supposedly private access codes, informs her that someone has sliced into her accounts and “donated” almost a quarter of her liquid currency assets to the Carosi XII Cosmetic and Surgical Reconstruction Rhinoplasty Foundation. She realizes that Sunset Cassandra, whose nose she broke in a fit of pique, is responsible for the theft.
Doxen makes arrangements with Stefan to transfer his weapons, illegal on the streets of Etti IV, from The Knife’s Edge to The Gentle Lover. Stefan is happy to accommodate, wishing the Ewok luck on his venture.
Needing to talk in private, Daal, Doxen and Arresta meet at a restaurant where the party band is playing, to discuss how they will deal with A’tel should he arrive. They decide to be cautious.
[A.G. 1023]
The next day, A’tel arrives on Etti IV. After enduring the lengthy disembarkation process, he contacts Arresta and arranges to meet with her. He finds her, baby daughter in tow, at the same restaurant where she had met Daal and Doxen previously. After exchanging pleasantries, they cut to the chase. Arresta asks A’tel what was behind his strange message and he admits that she, Stefan, Doxen, and Daal are all wanted by the Republic for supposed war crimes on Mongui. Arresta is indignant, claiming that the Republic had abandoned her home planet and that she and the others in the rebellion had done what was necessary to free the planet and save the non-humans being murdered on a daily basis. She claims she did not understand what would happen at the power plant and conceals her conspiracy with Stefan to destroy the civilian food and water supply, along with their communications systems.
A’tel advises her that he feels conflicted. He wishes to believe her, but he must be sure. He requests the opportunity to touch her mind with the Force to better discern the truth. After some hesitation, which she explains was caused by Creen and his attempts on her memory, Arresta complies. Although A’tel can tell that she is adhering to the literal truth in what she says, he knows that there are also certain things that she is hiding from him. Nonetheless, A’tel declares that he believes her – and therefore, he will trust all of them. Arresta tells him that is up to him – but she admits her husband is a “complicated man” and that she cannot speak for all of his actions, but she still intends to protect him. Regardless, A’tel decides that he will place his trust in her.
A’tel informs her that he will work with her to help his friends avoid arrest. He also asks for permission to accompany her on her mission to rescue Tarn – preferably in place of Creen. Arresta is happy for him to join them and thanks him for his help on all counts. He explains that after this, he will be an outcast from the Order and the Republic. Arresta questions whether such a dramatic break is necessary, but A’tel is adamant. She gives him Daal’s contact frequency and they part.
Back at the ARC, Doxen spots Master Creen and follows him as he again attempts to break into Jocasta’s private office. However, the Jedi is stymied by the complex electronic security measures and is forced to turn away. Doxen and Daal use Creen’s trespass attempt as an excuse to lure the logistics droid to Doxen’s quarters where they manage to successfully deactivate it by hiding Daal under the bed until the droid is within range of the jammer. They are unable to alter its primary programming, but they do manage to add additional sub-routines which install Doxen as head of Security and which require the droid to notify the two of them in case of any security breaches.
Arresta contacts the two of them and updates them on A’tel and all that he had to share. She calms Doxen and his homicidal instincts by assuring him of A’tel’s trustworthiness and tells them that their Jedi friend will be in touch. She also informs her husband that they are wanted by the Republic and he assures her that he is unconcerned, as the Republic has its hands full already.
[A.G. 1024]
The day of the party, Daal meets with the pilot of The Flaming Halo, a human named Lucef Sen Diablo, and confirms he is available for hire and that his ship seems competent to handle a potentially difficult journey. He makes arrangements for Lucef to meet his potential employer at the masked ball party that night at the ARC.
Daal then meets with A’tel, and the Jedi imparts his plan: he intends to order his astromech droid to pilot his starfighter to a location opposite to the direction he will travel and send out a prerecorded signal to lure the Majestic there. At the hanger, Daal reprograms the astromech droid for the series of pre-planned jumps and erases the droid's memories of its encounter with him. A’tel then contacts the Republic and informs them of his “success” in setting his companions up for the trap. Once he signs off, he abandons his Jedi robes in favour of civilian clothing and heads off to the party, having cut his ties to the Republic. He fails to notice someone watching him . . .
At their town-home, Arresta is finishing her hair and make-up in preparation for the big party (and the raid on the ARC computers to find the location of Daal’s mother). Conscious of the time, she advises her husband, who is in shirt-sleeves giving the infant Allegra a bath, that he should finish getting ready or they will be late. She suggests that just this once, he allow Xam to put Allegra to bed. Stefan insists caring for the baby is something he prefers to do himself, whenever possible.
Everyone arrives for the party, which is an elaborate masked ball. A’tel, who has been bitterly amusing himself at the bar and the gaming tables, senses that Master Creen is several levels above. A’tel meets Arresta on the roof of the ARC, where The Knife’s Edge is stationed. Inside, they find Creen in a meditative pose in his room. Arresta angrily accuses the Jedi Master of going against her wishes in attacking her husband’s mind. Creen mildly suggests that he has done her a favour, indicating that he has made it easier for Arresta to complete her journey. Further, he informs her that she would be in a worse predicament if he had not already meddled with Stefan’s mind back on Mongui to make her husband forget the day that she suffered a massive collapse due to Tarn’s mental distress. Distraught, Arresta demands that he reverse what he has done because she plans to tell her husband the truth. Creen advises against this, informing her that the cognitive dissonance this would create in Stefan’s mind could permanently damage or kill him. At least for now, it would be unsafe to do anything other than allow him to go on believing the fiction that Creen created.
A’tel, disgusted by Creen’s behaviour, tries to plant his foot on Creen’s chest, but the Master deftly grabs A’tel’s leg and flips him into the air. A’tel lands on his feet, ignites his lightsaber, and tells Creen he better stop interfering in his friends’ lives. Creen notes A’tel’s new, darker nature and then advises them both that he has decided not to travel with them because “the time for a reckoning has not yet come.” Instead, he expects Arresta to find Tarn and bring him back. The Princess is indignant and declares that Tarn will never follow Creen again. Creen shakes his head and declares that Tarn is still Creen’s disciple and that they will meet again. He also suggests that since “the little one” is not traveling with them that he (Creen) may travel with Doxen instead in order to observe a “curious transformation” while he bides his time on other matters that have not yet come to fruition.
Arresta demands that Creen stay away from her husband and daughter and prepares to leave. A’tel adds his own promises of retaliation if Creen continues to harm those that A’tel cares about. They leave and while A’tel returns to the party, Arresta meets Daal at one of the lab sites and is introduced to Lucef. After some negotiating back and forth, they conclude a deal to their mutual satisfaction.
Meanwhile, at the party, Daal has a conversation with Stefan Cassadine and he has to cover for Arresta when Stefan continues to talk about “her trip to help her Uncle.” A disturbance at the entryway draws Doxen’s attention and he finds representatives of Cestus Cybernetics there trying to gain entry and speak with A’tel.
Doxen finds the Jedi and the two of them go to meet the Cestus reps, who are led by Laysa Stin, the company’s Director of Public Relations. She reminds A’tel of his vow to return to the company once the assault on the Joriander Beacon was complete. A’tel is short-tempered with them and unwilling to listen to them plead their case that his absence (and corresponding uncertainty over leadership) has caused a massive drop in Cestus stock prices and that the Por’Ten family’s historic role in the business is at risk. With little regard for corporate or family ties, A’tel resigns after designating Stin as his replacement. To make sure there is no question of the finality of his decision, he forwards his letter of resignation to the major news networks.
[A.G. 1025]
Near midnight, Daal declares that it is time to begin his plan to access the ARC’s data files and find out where his mother is being kept. Having failed days before, Daal knows the process will take several hours of difficult slicing. With Doxen as look-out, he advises Arresta to join them in an hour or so and heads down to the mainframe room. Arresta is left alone with her husband. Still upset after her confrontation with Creen and believing she now has no choice but to lie to Stefan about her intentions, Arresta seizes this time alone with him and they escape to their suite on the nearby Knife’s Edge for a tryst.
Afterward, when Arresta joins her compatriots in the mainframe room, all seems to be progressing as per the plan. However, Doxen gets word from the logistics droid that video surveillance of the entryway showed four nominal representatives of Cestus entering but only three leaving. Doxen heads off to warn A’tel. Shortly thereafter, Daal’s realizes that large chunks of the encrypted data he is trying to access are being siphoned off and transmitted elsewhere. He tracks the data drain to a corner of the mainframe room, where he sees that a computer spike has been connected to the ARC memory banks. Before he can remove the spike, Daal is attacked by an unseen assailant who somehow renders him paralyzed. Hearing him drop to the ground, Arresta draws her blaster, takes cover, and calls for help.
Doxen and A’tel run to the rescue, A’tel is also attacked and paralyzed. Doxen, relying on his talent for stealth, is able to spot the assailant, a ghostly white figure wearing a strange harness and who appears to possess the ability phase in and out of walls and other solid objects and fire blaster shots that are effectively silent and invisible. Doxen quickly removes the computer spike and fires at the intruder, hitting him multiple times and damaging the harness. With his ability to phase gone, the intruder tries to make a run for it and almost succeeds, but is thrown back by an invisible wall—even whilst paralyzed in body, A’tel’s mastery of the Force remains undiminished. Although the intruder soon regains movement and manages to escape the mainframe room, he’s slowed down enough by A’tel’s efforts that Doxen is able to catch up and subdue him after a brief gun battle in the middle of the atrium. Unfortunately, the exchange of fire was witnessed by all the guests present and panic ensues, effectively ending the party.
After a brief visit to the medcenter, A’tel and Daal are treated with neural stimulants and cured of their temporary paralysis. By the time they make it back to the ARC, however, dawn is approaching and only hours remain before the facility will be permanently shut down—and the whereabouts of Daal’s mother lost, perhaps for forever.
1 comment:
This was a fun episode to play. Lots going on , but as you say, we really got to drive it and it set up the next few plot lines.
Once again, we were all far too caught up in our characters "personal issues" to actually take advantage of our location to learn much about Jocasta's plot.
The Stefan/Allegra bath & bedtime scene was very sweet -and helped fuel Arresta's personal conflict.It also underscored the point that Stefan put family first - unlike Tarn who had a larger vision and sense of responsibility.
I had forgotten that she dragged him off to the ship for some "private time". In retrospect, she really did get alot of "action" during this campaign.
Post a Comment